video-call-over-email

A webxdc app for actual video calls over actual email (albeit with 15-second ping (but it may improve soon)).

This is just a prototype.

Usage

As was said, this is a webxdc app. It requires a webxdc-supporting messenger to run. Delta Chat is one such messenger.

However, as of 2023-11-16, sending audio/video won't work on unmodified versions of Delta Chat, but this may change in the near future.

Receiving video does work on regular Delta Chat, so you can play around with the app without having to convince your friends to modify their Delta Chat.

Modifying Delta Chat

Below are instructions on how to modify Delta Chat. But make sure not to launch any webxdc apps that you don't trust on the modified version of Delta Chat as it is insecure. These instructions were tested on Delta Chat 1.40.4.

1. Download Delta Chat Desktop.

2. Find the DeltaChat/resources/app.asar file in the app folder.

3. Open it as a ZIP file.

4. Open the tsc-dist/main/deltachat/webxdc.js file inside the archive.

5. Find the line

   const logPermissionRequest = (permission) => {

   and add a line

   return true; // ADDED BY ME

   right below it.

6. Save the modified app.asar file.

7. After you're done playing around with this app, make sure to remove the line you added, or simply reinstall Delta Chat.

Running the app

1. Launch Delta Chat.
2. Build an .xdc file with ./create-xdc.sh, or just download it from the "Releases" section.
3. Send the .xdc file to a chat.
4. Wait for some other chat members to launch the app.
5. Press "Start sending my media"; or just wait for others to send theirs.

Keep in mind that video data takes a lot of space. Make sure not to waste the storage quota on your email server. The expected bitrate in this app for audio + video is ~50 MB / hour per member and ~2 MB / hour per member for just audio.

Why

Because it's funny.

And it might actually become an actually useful video call app, when:

• the ratelimit gets much better than 1 email per 10 seconds
• webxdc apps can be allowed camera permission
• A way is found to not fill up email servers with audio/video data (maybe something like "ephemeral webxdc messages")

How it works

Nope, it's not WebRTC.

1. Record 10 seconds of your camera stream with a MediaRecorder.
2. Serialize the data.
3. Send it over email (with webxdc.sendUpdate()).
4. Repeat from step 1.

When we receive data, deserialize it and display it using Media Source Extensions API.

Web demo (no email involved)

If you just want to see how the app feels, without actually using email, go to https://wofwca.github.io/video-call-over-email/ .